As the lights dimmed in the converted neo-Gothic church where we were seated, the excitement was palpable. We were ready to be ‘Pierced’.
From the gold, mosaic print invitations, to the ethereal lighting and the haunting voice of the live singer, the stage was set for what was to be a feast as decadent as any fit for a pharaoh.
In his short time as a designer, Luke Azzopardi has gained something of a cult following with many women for his ornate and sensual designs intended to empower the wearer.
Azzopardi not only flatters the female form, but celebrates it in all its voluptuous glory, with his high-waisted silk skirts and his use of lace, revealing just enough to get pulses racing.
His damsel in distress, dashed with dolce vita designs, shows that the Gozitan designer has drunk from many different pools of inspiration; despite their dreaminess, his clothes denote strength and set apart the wearer from the rest.
Not for the faint-hearted are the fine, lace, see-through tops in colours of deep red and black that are slashed just above the midriff, or the satin skirts that clung to every pore of the luminous models.
Indeed, the last person who wore something similar to the conical-shaped, black, satin bra he sent down the catwalk is known for her outlandish behaviour and is a queen in her own right: Madonna.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that Azzopardi cites great women such as Frida Kahlo, Nefertiti and Sylvia Plath as his muses for the show, taking great pains to emphasise the fact that they were not only married to great men but were also able to achieve greatness in their own right by reaching artistic perfection in death.
Interestingly, death permeates the entire collection, and this responsiveness to time and inevitable decay made the audience’s interaction with the show more immediate and personal.
The entire experience was enhanced by the menagerie of decadent baubles that decorated the models and were chosen especially to give the clothes a lavishness and weight that denotes the excess the designer so loves.
When questioned further, Azzopardi said his primary concern for this collection was not to reinvent the classic structure of clothing, but to enhance its timeless appeal.
The work in the clothes is elaborate, but the focus revolves around the digital manipulation of iconic images from diverse eras, making the clothes themselves icons and instilling in the audience a sense of wonder and a deeper, richer and more focused understanding of beauty.
All this fits in with the designer’s main belief and the thesis behind Pierced: his endless and restless search for beauty.
Fashion, just like a great work of art, is about appealing to one’s most personal and intrinsic feelings – it’s about beauty with a capital B.